1954 Map of Sinking Creek

About this map

Sinking Creek winds through this Lauderdale County landscape, disappearing into subterranean drainage points like Ball Sink and Cunningham Sink. In the mid-1930s, the Tennessee Valley Authority was actively reshaping the southern edge of this region with the development of the Pickwick Landing Reservoir. The map documents the existing agrarian layout before the reservoir reached its full extent, showing established settlements such as Oakland and Rhodesville connected by a network of rural roads and early high-voltage transmission lines. Local life is anchored by numerous country churches and schools, including Galilee Ch, Shiloh Sch, and Ray Sch. Genealogy researchers will find significant value in the documentation of family-named burial grounds like Pearson Cem, Lipscomb Cem, and Vaughn Cem, which dot the uplands above the Harding Bottoms.